William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood (1865-1951)
|contributors=Robin Patterson |titles=1st Baron Birdwood |birth_year=1865 |birth_month=9 |birth_day=13 |birth_locality=Khadki |birth_county=Pune district |birth_nation-subdiv1=Maharashtra |birth_nation=India |death_year=1951 |death_month=5 |death_day=17 |death_address=Hampton Court Palace |death_locality=London Borough of Richmond upon Thames |death_county=Greater London |death_nation-subdiv1=England |death_nation=United Kingdom |remains_year=1951 |remains_address=Twickenham Cemetery |remains_locality=Twickenham |remains_county=Greater London |remains_nation-subdiv1=England |remains_nation=United Kingdom |ifmarried-g1=true |wedding1_year=1894 |wedding1_month=3 |wedding1_day=5 |globals= }} |branch = British Indian Army Australian and New Zealand Army Corps |rank = Field Marshal (British Army) Field Marshal (Australian Army) Hon. |commands = Kohat Brigade First Australian Imperial Force Fifth Army Northern Command, India Commander-in-Chief, India |unit = |family = |nickname = Birdy |enteredservice = |serviceyears = 1883–1930 |battles = Second Boer War World War I *Gallipoli Campaign *Western Front |laterwork = |awards =Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire Distinguished Service Order Croix de Guerre (France) Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Croix de Guerre (Belgium) Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword (Portugal) Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) }} Field Marshal William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO, CIE, DSO (13 September 1865 – 17 May 1951) was a British Army officer. He saw active service in the Second Boer War on the staff of Lord Kitchener. He saw action again in World War I as Commander of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915, leading the landings on the peninsula and then the evacuation later in the year, before becoming Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army on the Western Front during the closing stages of the War. He went on to be General Officer Commanding the Northern Army in India in 1920 and Commander-in-Chief, India, in 1925. Early life William Riddell Birdwood was born in Kirkee, India, the second son of Herbert Mills Birdwood, under-secretary to the government of Bombay, and Edith Marion, daughter of Surgeon Major E. G. H. Impey of the Bombay Horse Artillery. He was educated at Clifton College, Bristol. Military career After securing a militia commission in the 4th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1883,Heathcote, p. 43 Birdwood attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from which he was commissioned early owing to the Russian war scare of 1885, becoming a lieutenant in the 12th (Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers on 9 May. He joined his regiment in India and then transferred from the 12th Royal Lancers to the Bengal Staff Corps on 20 December 1886. He subsequently transferred to the 11th Bengal Lancers Lancers in 1887, seeing action on the North-West Frontier in 1891. He later became adjutant of the Viceroy's Bodyguard in 1893. He was promoted to captain on 9 May 1896 and saw action during the Tirah Campaign in 1897. Birdwood served in the Second Boer War, initially as brigade-major with a mounted brigade in Natal from 10 January 1900 and then as Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General on the staff of Lord Kitchener from 15 October 1900. Promoted to brevet major on 20 November 1901 and local lieutenant-colonel in October 1901, Heathcote, p. 44 he became Military secretary to Lord Kitchener on 5 June 1902. When Kitchener went to India as Commander-in-Chief in November 1902, Birdwood joined him there as Assistant Military Secretary. He was promoted to the substantive rank of major on 9 May 1903 and appointed Military Secretary to Lord Kitchener with the rank of full colonel on 26 June 1905. Having been appointed an Aide-de-Camp to the King on 14 February 1906, he was given command of the Kohat Brigade on the North West Frontier in 1908Tucker; Roberts, p.388 and promoted to temporary brigadier-general on 28 June 1909. Promoted to the rank of major-general on 3 October 1911, Birdwood became Quartermaster-General in India and a member of the Viceroy's Legislative Council in 1912 and then Secretary of the Indian Army Department in 1913. Gallipoli In November 1914 Birdwood was instructed by Kitchener to form an army corps from the Australian and New Zealand troops that were training in Egypt. He was promoted to temporary lieutenant-general on 12 December 1914 and given command of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Kitchener instructed General Sir Ian Hamilton, Commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, to carry out an operation to capture the Gallipoli peninsula and placed Birdwood's ANZAC Corps under Hamilton's command. Hamilton ordered Birdwood to carry out a landing on 25 April 1915 north of Kabatepe at a site now known as ANZAC Cove. The ANZAC Corps encountered high ridges, narrow gullies, dense scrub and strong Turkish resistance and became pinned down. Major-General William Bridges and Major-General Alexander Godley, the divisional commanders, were both of the view that the Allied forces, dealing with stiffer-than-expected resistance, should be evacuated ahead of an expected attack by Turkish forces.Bean, 1981, pp. 456–457 Nevertheless Hamilton ordered them to hold fast.Bean, 1981, pp. 460–461 Birdwood took effective command of the Australian Imperial Force, i.e. all Australian Forces in May 1915 while still commanding Allied troops on the ground at Gallipoli. He launched a major attack on the Turks in August 1915 (the Battle of Sari Bair) but still failed to dislodge them from the peninsula. Notwithstanding this he was the only corps commander opposed to abandoning Gallipoli. He was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general on 28 October 1915 and given command of the newly formed Dardanelles Army: the one outstanding success of the campaign was the evacuation led by Birdwood, which took place in December 1915 and January 1916, when the entire force was withdrawn before any Turkish reaction. Western Front In February 1916 the Australian and New Zealand contingents, back in Egypt, underwent reorganisation to incorporate the new units and reinforcements that had accumulated during 1915: the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was replaced by two corps, I ANZAC Corps and II ANZAC Corps, and Birdwood reverted to the command of II ANZAC Corps. When I ANZAC Corps became the first to depart for France, Birdwood, as senior corps commander, took over command. Birdwood was promoted to the permanent rank of full general on 23 October 1917 with command of a formation then known as the Australian Corps in November 1917. He was also appointed Aide-de-Camp General to the King on 2 November 1917 and given command of the British Fifth Army on 31 May 1918 and led the Army at the liberation of Lille in October 1918 and at the liberation of Tournai in November 1918. After the war Birdwood was made Baronet of Anzac and of Totnes, in the County of Devon on 29 December 1919. He toured Australia to great acclaim in 1920 and then became General Officer Commanding the Northern Army in India later that year.Heathcote, p. 45 He was promoted to field marshal on 20 March 1925, and, having been appointed a Member of the Executive Council of the Governor-General of India in July 1925, he went on to be Commander-in-Chief, India, in August 1925. After leaving the service in 1930, Birdwood made a bid to become Governor-General of Australia. He had the backing of the King and the British government. However, the Australian Prime Minister James Scullin insisted that his Australian nominee Sir Isaac Isaacs be appointed. Instead Birdwood was appointed Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, on 20 April 1931. In 1935 he wrote for the Western Australian distance education magazine Our Rural Magazine claiming that he had two granddaughters making good use of distance courses for educational purposes. He retired from academic work in 1938. In retirement Birdwood was colonel of the 12th Royal Lancers, colonel of the 6th Gurkha Rifles and Captain of Deal Castle. In January 1936 he attended the funeral of King George V and in May 1937 he attended the coronation of King George VI. He was raised to the peerage in recognition of his wartime service as Baron Birdwood, of Anzac and of Totnes in the County of Devon on 1 January 1938. He died at Hampton Court Palace on 17 May 1951 and was buried at Twickenham Cemetery with full military honours. Honours and awards , together with Nawab Sir Muhammad Khan Zaman Khan. At Darband, Amb State, 1925]] British *Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) – 1 January 1923 (KCB: 4 June 1917; CB: 19 June 1911 ) *Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI) – 1 January 1930 (KCSI: 1 January 1915; CSI: 1 January 1910 ) *Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG) – 1 January 1919 (KCMG: 3 June 1915 ) *Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) – 11 May 1937 *Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) – 1 January 1908 *Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) – 14 August 1908 *Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of St. John (KStJ) – 21 June 1927 Foreign * Croix de Guerre (France), 22 February 1916 and 11 March 1919 (with Palm) * Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) – 2 November 1916 * Croix de Guerre (Belgium) – 11 March 1918 *Distinguished Service Medal (United States) – 12 July 1919 * Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword (Portugal) – 21 August 1919 * Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) – 21 January 1921 Family In 1893 Birdwood married Janetta Bromhead, daughter of Sir Benjamin Bromhead; they had a son and two daughters. See also * List of places named after William Birdwood References External links * A. J. Hill, 'Birdwood, William Riddell (Baron Birdwood) (1865–1951)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, pp 293–296. * [http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WaiNewZ-f7.html Birdwood's introduction to The New Zealanders at Gallipoli] * Birdwood's AIF service record, available in the Australian National Archives as a digital image |- |- Category:Australian generals Category:Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Category:Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Category:British Army cavalry generals of World War I Category:British Commanders-in-Chief of India Category:British field marshals Category:British Indian Army generals Category:British military personnel of the Second Boer War Category:Captains of Deal Castle Category:Fellows of Peterhouse, Cambridge Category:Field marshals of Australia Category:Masters of Peterhouse, Cambridge Category:People educated at Clifton College Category:People from Pune district Category:Royal Horse Guards officers Category:Royal Scots Fusiliers officers Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Category:12th Royal Lancers officers Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Category:Knights of Grace of the Order of St John Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Category:Grand Officers of the Order of Aviz Category:Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Category:Grand Officers of the Order of the Tower and Sword Category:Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Category:Recipients of the Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France) Category:Commanders of the Order of the Nile